Department for Transport

Helicopters: Greater London

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the geographical extent of the compulsory helicopter route under the London City control zone.

Mr John Hayes: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is conducting a review of helicopter operations and the associated route structure around London to ensure that procedures remain fit for purpose. As part of its Regulatory Safety Management System the CAA is also conducting a review relating to the increase of tall structures along the River Thames.

Bus Services: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will announce increased support for rural bus services in Hemsworth constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will provide support and extra funding to people affected by the closure of the number 30 bus route in Hemsworth constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The Government recognises the importance of bus services to rural communities, which provide vital links to local services. In recognition of this, in 2016/17 we provided the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive – Metro – with over £2 million through the Bus Service Operators Grant scheme (BSOG) to help them support bus services in their area, including around Hemsworth. Decisions on which individual bus services in rural areas they wish to subsidise are, of course, a matter for individual local authorities. On top of this, we provide several million pounds a year direct to bus operators via BSOG for running services in West and South Yorkshire, including for the number 30 bus route. We are also currently piloting the Total Transport initiative, which is exploring how local authorities and other agencies can work together to commission transport services more effectively in rural and isolated areas.

Official Cars: Exhaust Emissions

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles in the Government Car Service have been found to be fitted with emissions defeat devices; and how many of those devices have been removed from such vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: The Government Car Service have no vehicles fitted with emission defeat devices in their fleet and as such no removal work has been necessary.

Northern Rail: Industrial Disputes

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's policy is on reimbursing rail operators for costs incurred by industrial action by Northern Rail; and whether the Government has set aside a contingency fund in the event that such reimbursement is needed.

Paul Maynard: The Department’s franchise agreement with Northern Rail provides that the Secretary of State has discretion to reimburse or ameliorate net losses of the rail operator arising from industrial action, where he is satisfied that the franchisee has taken all reasonable steps to mitigate its effects. The Department would treat any application from Northern Rail for reimbursement on its merits. The Government does not comment on the existence or otherwise of any contingency funding.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to make a final decision on Govia Thameslink Railway's existing force majeure claims.

Paul Maynard: This is a complex claim to analyse and the process is still ongoing. The Department is currently discussing the claim with Govia Thameslink Railway and considering the points made by the operator before making its determination.

Bus Service Operators Grant

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will assess the potential merits of allowing local authorities to take responsibility for the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to allow (a) Devon County Council and (b) other councils to decide how and where to spend the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Andrew Jones: Over £40 million a year of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) is already devolved to local transport authorities in England outside London. So, for instance, Devon County Council receives over £1.1 million in devolved BSOG each year. Authorities have freedom to decide how they use the devolved funding, as long as it is used to support the provision of bus services in their area. We intend to continue to consider any further requests for the devolution of BSOG, other than where franchising is in place, on a case by case basis – with a focus on the benefits to be achieved for passengers. However, we believe that simply devolving all BSOG automatically to local authorities could have perverse and unintended outcomes for local bus services, as such services do not respect local transport authority boundaries and the decisions taken by one authority could have significant implications for the overall viability of a wider network of services.

Driving Tests: Southend on Sea

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving tests have been taken at the Southend driving test centre; and how many of those tests resulted in a pass in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The number of tests conducted and passed at Southend on Sea Driving Test Centre are in the table below. Southend on Sea Driving Test Centre opened in May 2012. YearConductedPassesPass rate (%)01/04/16 – 30/12/165011217843.501/04/15 – 31/03/165772245042.401/04/14 – 31/03/155064221743.801/04/13 – 31/03/143,8691,64942.614/05/12 – 31/03/132,23489340.0

Southern: Standards

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to accelerate the rate of performance improvement on the Southern rail network.

Paul Maynard: We recently announced an additional £300 million investment for Network Rail to boost the operational resilience of the infrastructure on its Southern Rail route. This is in addition to the £20 million investment announced last year.

Transport: Infrastructure

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to ensure that constituencies increasing in population size will be adequately supported by (a) road and (b) rail infrastructure.

Andrew Jones: The Secretary of State for Transport has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government about how best to continue to provide the best possible transport solutions for the nation and its constituencies. Both the Road Investment Strategy and the current rail upgrade plan are focused on meeting the current and increasing demand, and stimulating economic growth by investing record amounts in transport links to communities. We use detailed models and evidence to support these investments and we are committed to continuing to do so in the future. An important aim for the second Road Investment Strategy, which is being developed, is to provide transport capacity to support new housing construction. Officials in both departments are coordinating planning activity to understand and accommodate new pressures on the strategic road network.

Home Office

Asylum

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training and advice is available to immigration officers carrying out asylum interviews where a claimant has been a victim of sexual violence.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Asylum interview and decisions are undertaken by civil servants and not by Immigration Officers. All Asylum decision-making staff receive training that involves a dedicated five week course (or ‘Foundation Training programme’) which covers Asylum legislation, the Refugee Convention, Human Rights law, UK Immigration Rules and legislation, gender issues, modern slavery, Female Genital Mutilation, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual claims and domestic violence as well as training on conducting asylum interviews and decisions.

UK Visas and Immigration: Judicial Review

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much UK Visas and Immigration paid out in costs in respect of judicial reviews of (a) deportation orders and (b) other immigration decisions in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but this information would only be available at disproportionate cost.

Refugee Council

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the length of her Department's contract with the Refugee Council was for the provision of independent advice to asylum seekers; what the cost of the contract was to the public purse; and how many staff the Refugee Council employed to fulfil that contract.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office does not have a contract with the Refugee Council.

Migrant Help

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have received independent advice from Migrant Help in each year since that contract was signed with her Department; and what the average length of time has been between opening and closing those cases through that organisation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has provided grant-funding on a national level to Migrant Help for the provision of independent advice to asylum seekers since April 2014. The number of service users provided with advice varies according to demand. The Home Office does not measure the average length of time between opening and closing cases where asylum seekers have sought advice from Migrant Help.

Migrant Help

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the length of her Department's contract is with Migrant Help for the provision of independent advice to asylum seekers; what the cost of the contract has been to the public purse to date; and how many staff Migrant Help has employed to fulfil that contract since that contract was signed.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information on the number of staff employed is a matter for Migrant Help, but full details of their funding received can found in Annual Trustees Report and accounts published on the Charity Commission website: http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/DocumentList.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1088631&SubsidiaryNumber=0&DocType=AccountList

Hate Crime: Internet

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to convene the ministerial seminar on hate on the internet referred to in Action Against Hate: The UK Government's plan for tackling hate crime, published in July 2016; and which Government Departments will be consulted prior to that seminar on which victims' groups, stakeholders and industry representatives will be invited to attend.

Sarah Newton: The cross Government hate crime delivery group will meet on 30 January 2017. The development of the Ministerial seminar on hate on the internet will be one of the actions this group will take forward.The delivery group includes representatives from the Home Office, Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Education, Department for Transport, representatives from the Hate Crime Independent Advisory Group, National Police Chiefs Council, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Justice, Crown Prosecution Service and Government Equalities Office.The delivery group will consider which victim’s groups, stakeholders and industry representatives should be invited to attend the seminar.

European Arrest Warrants

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the European Arrest Warrant has been used to bring to the UK people suspected of (a) child sex offences, (b) rape and (c) murder in each of the last three years.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the European Arrest Warrant has been used to extradite from the UK people suspected of (a) child sex offences, (b) rape and (c) murder in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: The National Crime Agency publishes annual statistics on the number of European Arrest Warrants (EAW) either issued by the UK or received by the UK. These figures include a breakdown of the number of EAWs by offence. However, these figures do not differentiate between accusatory EAWs and conviction EAWs. These figures are published at:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statistics

Terrorism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that suspected terrorists do not enter the UK using counterfeit passports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: All Border Force officers at passport control are trained in forgery detection. When a Border Force officer is not convinced that a document is genuine and in the possession of the rightful holder they will take the appropriate action. Between 2010 and September 2016 more than 116,000 people were refused entry to the UK, including those refused for travelling on invalid documentation. Border Force is committed to a programme of continuous improvement and is constantly reviewing the training, techniques and technology available to front line staff to ensure that officers have the skills and equipment to detect counterfeit documents.

Asylum

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2017 to Question 60854, to which Minister in which Department hon. Members should address their concerns on the well-being of Syrian refugees who have entered mainland Europe.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am responsible for the policy and operations related to asylum seekers and refugees inside the UK. The primary responsibility for refugees outside the UK rests with the host country within which they are residing; this principle applies to Syrian refugees who have entered mainland Europe. However, the UK has a strong interest in this matter, and, as with refugees issues further afield, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office and Department for International Development work closely to support Europe in dealing with refugees, including those from Syria. We have: Provided significant assistance via the European Asylum Support Office to Member States facing particular pressures to ensure that all refugees can have effective access to protection, wherever they are.Established a £10 million Refugee Children’s Fund for Europe, which aims to prevent and mitigate protection risks faced by vulnerable separated and unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Europe.Allocated up to £34 million to the humanitarian response in Greece.This is in addition to the UK’s wider response to the Syrian crisis. We have pledged £2.3 billion, making the UK one of the largest donors to the humanitarian crisis.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on when to commence the second part of the Leveson inquiry; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Minister of State for Security during Home Office Oral Answers to Questions on Monday 23 January 2017 (908280, Volume 620, column 7).

Fracking: Demonstrations

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of monitoring and policing anti-fracking protests since 2010 in (a) Lancashire and (b) the UK.

Brandon Lewis: It is an operational decision for Chief Constables, working with their applicable Police and Crime Commissioner to determine the levels of resources required for the police to monitor and manage such events.

Home Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the term of office of the current Chief Scientific Adviser to her Department ends; and what the timescale will be for filling that vacancy when it arises.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office is in the process of recruiting a new Chief Scientific Advisor at the moment. A suitable candidate will be appointed as soon as is practicable. As with any recruitment process the timescale for filling the vacancy is dependent upon attracting and selecting a suitable candidate, notice periods, and completion of pre-employment and security checks.

European Arrest Warrants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many European Arrest Warrant requests have been made by UK police forces to each of the other EU countries in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Each year the National Crime Agency publishes statistics on the number of European Arrest Warrants (EAW) issued by the UK.These figures include a breakdown of the number of EAWs by the UK requesting law enforcement agency, including by Police Force. These figures are published at: -www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statistics

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Government Assistance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what companies each Minister of his Department has responsibility for government relationships with.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 19 January 2017



The Department for International Trade (DIT) is responsible for the Government’s strategic relations programme, which manages relationships with key investors and exporters through named contact ministers.DIT and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are currently refreshing the allocation of contact ministers across Government and intend to publish the updated list on Gov.uk in due course.

Nuclear Power

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure the training of sufficient engineers and technicians to support the UK nuclear industry.

Jesse Norman: The Government is working with industry and skills bodies to achieve this goal, and Government-backed skills initiatives such as the Apprenticeship Levy and the National College for Nuclear are examples of actions taken to date. The National College for Nuclear aims to train 7,000 people by 2020, with the first intake of students to begin in September 2017. The Government plans to deliver the majority of skills needed for the sector through national Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, including apprenticeships and higher education in combination with organisations’ in-house training and targeted support from accredited skills bodies.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the Government having full access to and use of technologies developed outside the UK and used in the construction of new nuclear power stations in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: It is for developers to bring forward new nuclear power stations in England and Wales; this includes procuring the technology. All developers must submit their full designs to the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agencies as part of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process: the GDA is the non-statutory system by which the UK’s independent nuclear regulators assess safety, security and environmental aspects of new reactor designs proposed for use in the UK. In addition, any organisation wishing to carry out prescribed nuclear activities must apply for, and be granted, a nuclear site licence. A site licence puts the licence holder under strict legal obligations and, importantly, gives specific regulatory powers to ONR to ensure the safe and secure construction, commissioning and operation of a nuclear site.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the role that carbon capture and (a) storage and (b) utilisation will play in meeting the developing world's growing demand for energy.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 24 January 2017



The Department does not make its own assessment of the energy mix in developing countries: it reviews the analysis done by the International Energy Agency and other multilateral bodies, together with the assessments by the countries themselves, in determining the areas in which our international work might be most effective.For example, the International Energy Agency’s[1] two-degree scenario analysis has consistently highlighted that carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be important in limiting future temperature increases to 2°C and estimates that 94 giga-tonnes of CO2 captured and stored through to 2050 from the power, industry and fuel transformation sectors. Of this nearly 75% of CCS is deployed outside of the OECD countries.To support the development of CCS technology in emerging economies, the Government committed £60 million in 2012 from its International Climate Fund (ICF). This International CCS Capacity Building Programme continues to work with, and in, emerging economies to develop the technical and institutional knowledge necessary to enable the deployment of CCS technologies.[1] IEA 2016, 20 Years of Carbon Capture and Storage

Fuel Poverty

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the contribution that new (a) coal-fuelled, (b) gas-fuelled, (c) hydro, (d) solar and (e) wind electricity generating capacity will play in alleviating energy poverty in each of its priority countries.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 24 January 2017



The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not make its own assessment of the energy mix in other countries: it reviews the analysis done by the International Energy Agency and other multilateral bodies, together with assessments by the countries themselves, in determining which technologies can most effectively alleviate energy poverty challenges.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department plans to (a) monitor, (b) enforce and (c) impose appropriate sanctions arising from the investor agreement between his Department and nine nuclear investment companies for the Hinkley C nuclear power plant.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 24 January 2017



The Low Carbon Contracts Company Ltd. (LCCC) monitors and enforces the Secretary of State Investor Agreement (SOSIA), and will impose any sanctions as necessary.

Energy: Meters

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect on households' access to low-cost and off-peak rates of Ofgem recommendations on the future installation of smart meters.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 24 January 2017



The Government is unaware of any Ofgem recommendations in relation to this matter and has therefore not made an assessment.

Electricity Generation

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the most cost-effective way of providing utility scale baseload power in its priority countries.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 24 January 2017



The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not make its own assessment of the energy generation profile in other countries: it reviews the analysis done by the International Energy Agency and other multilateral bodies, together with assessments by the countries themselves, in determining which technologies can most cost-effectively provide baseload power.

Developing Countries: Carbon Capture and Storage

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to provide support for the use of carbon capture technology in the developing world additional to the £60 million committed to the International Climate Fund in 2012.

Jesse Norman: The CCS Capacity Building Programme to which the Government committed £60 million from the International Climate Fund in 2012 is a multi-year programme currently underway, providing support for the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in emerging economies, through developing the technical and institutional knowledge required for CCS deployment.In addition, the UK is a member of Mission Innovation, an international initiative which aims to reinvigorate and accelerate global clean energy innovation with the objective to make clean energy widely affordable. Under Mission Innovation, the UK is participating in the Carbon Capture Innovation Challenge, which includes emerging economies with an interest in CCS technology. [1] [1] http://mission-innovation.net/our-work/innovation-challenges/carbon-capture-challenge/

World War II: Medals

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will introduce an award in recognition of the contribution made by munitions workers during the Second World War.

Mr Nick Hurd: As previously answered in the response I gave on 28 November 2016 to Question UIN 54468, the position remains the same:The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has given careful consideration to how the valuable contribution made by former munitions workers could be formally recognised. In the last Parliament we worked with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Recognition for Munitions Workers to explore ways to ensure that the collective efforts of all those who worked in munitions factories were not forgotten, and this included a number of positive steps such as the march past of former munitions workers in the Remembrance Sunday parade in 2012. While the All Party Parliamentary Group is no longer active, we would be willing to work with any MP or group who has ideas or recommendations on how the valiant collective effort of former munitions workers could be recognised.

Nissan: North East

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that companies involved in the supply chain for Nissan in the North East remain competitive after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd: Work by the Automotive Council has identified £6bn per annum additional opportunities for suppliers across the UK, and the Government is working closely with the Automotive Council and the wider sector to help secure this.Government support for small and medium sized enterprises, including suppliers to Nissan, is provided through a range of measures and funding competitions which make the UK one of the best locations to locate and grow an automotive business. This includes the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative, with projects running through to 2019, and the £1bn Advanced Propulsion Centre, which promotes collaborative R&D between suppliers and vehicle makers to develop products to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.As part of a wider programme of long term investment in the North East, the North East LEP Growth Deal, announced on 23 January 2017, awarded £49.7m of Local Growth fund to the partnership, the majority of which will be used as investment into the new International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) near Nissan. This is expected to secure an estimated 5,200 jobs for the North East economy by 2027, and will support the local development of a variety of companies including the automotive supply chain.

Low Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will support the establishment of local low pay commissions.

Margot James: The Government is committed to delivering an economy that works for all by spreading wealth and prosperity more evenly across the country. Through the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, the Government is ensuring the lowest paid receive their fair share of the gains from economic growth. The independent work of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) continues to play a central role in helping to achieve these ambitions. The LPC will continue to make recommendations on wage related issues to ensure that wages rise to reward workers while considering the impact on the economy. The Government has no plans to introduce local low pay commissions.

Aerospace Industry

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to build on the UK's strengths in aerospace innovation and manufacturing before and after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has allocated £1.95bn to 2026 to co-fund aerospace related R&D activities: 160 technology projects worth £1.3 billion are currently under way, spanning wings, engines, aero structures and advanced systems. This involves 195 different companies and organisations, including over 100 SMEs. In addition the Government is also helping the sector develop its supply chain by investing £80m in the Sharing in Growth supply chain performance improvement programme; the lead 43 companies have already won in excess of £1.4 billion of contracts as a result of this work. The Government also supports the National Aerospace Technology Exploitation programme to help SMEs innovate, develop and market technology.

Aerospace Industry

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the aerospace industry to economic growth in the (a) South West and (b) UK.

Jesse Norman: The aerospace sector has an annual turnover of around £30 billion, supporting 113,000 direct, high-skilled jobs across the UK, 22,400 of them in the South West. Average salary levels, at £38,600, are over 35% higher than the national average. Between 2009 and 2015, productivity growth has been six times more than the whole economy.

Aerospace Industry

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the aerospace sector remains globally competitive after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: The UK will continue its longstanding support for the aerospace sector, including co-funding £1.95bn to 2026 for research and development activities, and a number of other measures to support the UK supply chain.

Aerospace Industry

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies in the aerospace supply chain benefit from increasing aircraft orders before and after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: Officials are working closely with the UK aerospace industry to understand the impacts and opportunities of leaving the EU. The Government is investing £80m in the Sharing in Growth supply chain performance improvement programme; the lead 43 companies have already won in excess of £1.4 billion of contracts as a result of this work. The Government also supports the National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme, which help SMEs innovate, develop and market technology. The Government has also supported industry development of the Supply Chain Competitiveness Charter, where larger aerospace companies commit to share growth opportunities with suppliers in return for continued improvement in their operational performance.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Omani government on the crisis in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK is in discussions with Oman to help find a political solution to end the conflict in Yemen. The UK welcomed the participation of the Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs at the last Quadrilateral meeting on December 18.

Yemen: Al Qaeda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the increasing influence of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) prosper in ungoverned environments where they have the freedom to develop their capabilities. Ultimately, the only sustainable way to counter terrorist activity will be a political settlement and an end to the conflict. The UK is leading international efforts to achieve this.Although we have temporarily suspended counter-terrorism capacity building with the Yemeni authorities, we continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including AQAP. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

Yemen: United Nations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department provides bilateral funding or other resources for the office of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK continues to strongly support the work of UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and his tireless efforts in working with all parties to bring about peace in Yemen. Through the cross-government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, we are providing £1.05 million (over 2 financial years) to the UN Special Envoy's office to bolster UN capacity to facilitate the peace process.

Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Bangladeshi government on the case of Mr Ahmad Bin Quasem.

Alok Sharma: We continue to stress the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law to the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and in private. I urged the Bangladeshi High Commissioner to ensure that his government adhered to its human rights obligations when we met on 29 November 2016. As I said in my closing speech to the House of Commons adjournment debate on 8 September 2016, mass arrests, suspicious 'crossfire' deaths, and enforced disappearances at the hands of the police undermine confidence in the judicial system. Investigations must be conducted transparently and impartially, irrespective of either victim of alleged perpetrator.Mr Ahmad Bin Quasem is not a British citizen; we are therefore unable to request consular access.

Colombia: Homicide

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Columbian counterparts about the murders of (a) Emilsen Manyoma on 17 January 2017 in Buenaventura, (b) Joe Javier Rodallega in Buenaventura in 17 January 2017, (c) Juan de la Cruz Mosquera in Riosucio on 7 January 2017, (d) Moises de la Mosquera also in Riosucio on 7 January 2017 and (e) José Yimer Cartagena Usuga in Antioquia on 11 January 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are concerned by the increasing number of reported killings of civil society figures and activists in Colombia. Since the beginning of 2017, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received reports of at least ten murders where the victims appear to have been targeted for their role as human rights defenders, or because they are members of unions or political groups such as Marcha Patriotica, including Hernan Agames, Yanetin Calvache, Olmeido Pito Garcia, Aldemar Parra Garcia, Emilsen Manyoma, Joe Javier Rodallega and Juan de la Cruz Mosquera.The Prime Minister raised the issue of the levels of violence against human rights defenders with President Santos during the State Visit in November. Respect for human rights was also included in their joint declaration. I and Ministerial colleagues will continue to raise our human rights concerns with our Colombian counterparts.Working together to improve respect for human rights is a key part of our relationship with the Colombian Government and civil society. At a practical level, our Ambassador to Colombia is a member of the group "Ambassadors with Defenders" which promotes the work of human rights defenders and raises concerns about specific cases with the Colombian Government. The group will meet the Colombian Attorney-General to discuss the continued murders against human rights defenders, including those killed in recent weeks. On 19 January, British Embassy staff in Bogota met Colombian NGO Somos Defensores to discuss the recent murders. They also took part in a visit to South Bolivar, where local community leaders have voiced concerns about their security. As a result of this visit, the Office of the Presidential Advisor on Human rights committed to request the Colombian Ministry of Defence to provide additional security measures for community leaders.The Colombian Government recognises the threats faced by human rights defenders and acknowledges the challenges it faces in implementing the peace agreement with the FARC. In December, the Office of the Presidential Advisor for Human Rights (OHCHR) made a statement which linked an increase in incidents to areas vacated by the FARC. President Santos also gave a speech on 22 November in which he said he would work with Governors of affected areas and the Attorney General to accelerate investigations into murders of human rights defenders to find those responsible.

Colombia: Homicide

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart on the murder of (a) Aldemar Parra García on 7 January 2017, (b) Olmeido Pito Garcia in Cauca on 6 January 2017 and (c) Yanetin Alejandra Calvache in Balboa in Cauca on 30 December 2016; and what reports he has received on the circumstances of those murders.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are concerned by the increasing number of reported killings of civil society figures and activists in Colombia. Since the beginning of 2017, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received reports of at least ten murders where the victims appear to have been targeted for their role as human rights defenders, or because they are members of unions or political groups such as Marcha Patriotica, including Hernan Agames, Yanetin Calvache, Olmeido Pito Garcia, Aldemar Parra Garcia, Emilsen Manyoma, Joe Javier Rodallega and Juan de la Cruz Mosquera.The Prime Minister raised the issue of the levels of violence against human rights defenders with President Santos during the State Visit in November. Respect for human rights was also included in their joint declaration. I and Ministerial colleagues will continue to raise our human rights concerns with our Colombian counterparts.Working together to improve respect for human rights is a key part of our relationship with the Colombian Government and civil society. At a practical level, our Ambassador to Colombia is a member of the group "Ambassadors with Defenders" which promotes the work of human rights defenders and raises concerns about specific cases with the Colombian Government. The group will meet the Colombian Attorney-General to discuss the continued murders against human rights defenders, including those killed in recent weeks. On 19 January, British Embassy staff in Bogota met Colombian NGO Somos Defensores to discuss the recent murders. They also took part in a visit to South Bolivar, where local community leaders have voiced concerns about their security. As a result of this visit, the Office of the Presidential Advisor on Human rights committed to request the Colombian Ministry of Defence to provide additional security measures for community leaders.The Colombian Government recognises the threats faced by human rights defenders and acknowledges the challenges it faces in implementing the peace agreement with the FARC. In December, the Office of the Presidential Advisor for Human Rights (OHCHR) made a statement which linked an increase in incidents to areas vacated by the FARC. President Santos also gave a speech on 22 November in which he said he would work with Governors of affected areas and the Attorney General to accelerate investigations into murders of human rights defenders to find those responsible.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that President Kabila abides by the 31 December 2016 agreement reached in the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that free and fair elections take place in that country before the end of 2017.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We welcome the political deal signed on 31 December. As I said in my statement of 6 January, it is imperative that this deal is implemented as soon as possible so that elections can take place this year. We continue to encourage the Democratic Republic of the Congo government and the opposition to cooperate and consolidate the progress they have already made.The UK has earmarked £11.4 million to support a transparent electoral process provided that a realistic budget and timetable are released, and all the conditions set out in the Constitution and in UN Security Council Resolution 2277 are met. If necessary we will push for EU sanctions to be imposed on those who obstruct the democratic process and commit human rights violations.

Serbia: Visits Abroad

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2017 to Question 60166, what preparations (a) his Department and (b) the British Embassy in Belgrade undertook prior to his official visit to Serbia in November 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: As is standard practice, Embassy staff in Belgrade worked with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Western Balkans Department, Media Office and the Foreign Secretary's Private Office on the visit. This included developing an itinerary, providing briefing and a media plan, making the necessary travel arrangements, as well as liaising with Serbian Government protocol and other local authorities.

Cabinet Office

Macquarie Group

Mary Creagh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings officials of his Department have had with employees of Macquarie Group or its subsidiaries in each month since March 2016.

Ben Gummer: Government officials routinely meet with a wide range of parties in the normal course of business. The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Details of meetings held by the most senior officials are published on Gov.uk on a quarterly basis.

Voting Rights: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of National Youth Parliament's Votes at 16 campaign.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is committed to a democracy that works for everyone in which every voice matters. It is important that young people are engaged in the democratic process and participate in our wider political dialogue.The Government remains in favour of maintaining the current voting age and has no plans to lower it.

Average Earnings: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average salary for (a) men and (b) women was in (i) Greater London and (ii) the London borough of Newham in each year since 2010.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Average Salary
(PDF Document, 140.26 KB)

Wales Office

Wales Office: Sick Leave

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many civil servants in his Department were on a leave of absence from work due to mental illness in each month of the year since January 2010.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office holds absence data from 1 April 2011. Fewer than five civil servants were on a leave of absence from work in the Wales Office due to mental illness in any month from this date. A full answer would risk the identification of individuals and is therefore not provided.

Department for Education

Postgraduate Education: Northern ireland

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial aid is available to prospective postgraduate students from Northern Ireland who have previously lived and studied in England but are not eligible for a loan from the Student Loans Company as they are classified as not normally resident in this country.

Joseph Johnson: This Government has a long-term commitment to enhancing support for postgraduate study. Increasing the supply of individuals with high-level skills and knowledge boosts earnings, stimulates innovation, and contributes to making the UK more globally competitive. That is why, from Academic Year 2016/17, the Government introduced a postgraduate master’s loan scheme to help remove the financial barrier often faced by those wishing to step up to achieving a master’s level qualification.Higher education in the UK is a devolved matter, and England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each operate their own system of student support for home-domiciled students. The Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland has announced plans to introduce postgraduate tuition fee loans for Northern Ireland students from the beginning of Academic Year 2017/18.Prospective postgraduate students from all parts of the UK are potentially eligible for Professional and Career Development Loans (PCDLs). PCDLs are government-subsidised bank loans that are offered to contribute to the costs of a variety of courses and training that help with career development. Eligible courses include a large range of postgraduate courses and, in recent years, around seven in ten recipients of PCDLs have been those participating in postgraduate study

Schools: Finance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average amount held in reserve by schools was in each year from 2010.

Nick Gibb: The average revenue balance in each local authority maintained school is published annually. The most recent figures are in the file attached and can be found in table 5 of the statistical release available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2015-to-2016-financial-year.  



recent_figures_attachment
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.11 KB)

GCSE

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the pass rate among students aged 17 years and over who achieved grade A* to C in GCSE (a) mathematics and (b) English in 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is available for students aged 16, 17 or 18 at the start of the academic year. This is published in the “A level and other 16 to 18 results: 2015 to 2016 (revised)” statistical first release.[1] [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2015-to-2016-revised (Table 8a & 8b)

Mental Illness: Children and Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that vulnerable children and young people who become mental health in-patients can continue their education without their treatment affecting their learning.

Edward Timpson: The Government’s policy intention is that all children, regardless of circumstance or setting should receive a good education to enable them to shape their own futures. Local authorities have a duty to arrange education for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness including becoming a mental health in-patient, would otherwise not receive this. The education must be full-time, or a close to full-time as the child’s health condition allows.In relation to young people who are aged 16 and over, as part of their responsibility for making sure that there is sufficient, suitable education and training provision for their young people and to support them to participate, local authorities may fund the provision of education in health care establishments so that a young person can continue their learning.

Social Services: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on which children and family organisations have supported the provisions relating to power to innovate in the Children and Social Work Bill.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consultation she has carried out on the provisions relating to the power to innovate in the Children and Social Work Bill.

Edward Timpson: The Department has met with a broad range of organisations and individuals regarding the power to test different ways of working, including representatives from the voluntary sector, social work and local government. These meetings informed the changes that were made to the new clauses that were introduced at Committee stage in the House of Commons. We will continue to consult as we develop the detail of the process, which is why we have committed to consult publically on statutory guidance for the power. Every local authority will also be required to undertake consultation about their specific proposal ahead of making an application. A number of organisations support the inclusion of the power to test different ways of working in the Children and Social Work Bill. For instance, the Children’s Society have said: “The Children’s Society welcome the Government’s commitment to innovation in children’s social care and are supportive of their intention to allow local authorities to test new ways of working in a time-limited, safe, transparent and well-evaluated way. We are of the view that the government have listened to the concerns raised by the sector and have taken significant steps to ensure that the intention behind the power is clear, and that robust safeguards have been put in place.” The department also holds supportive statements regarding the power to test different ways of working from the following organisations and individuals. The Local Government AssociationThe Society of Local Authority Chief ExecutivesProfessor Eileen Munro;Ofsted;Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England;Barnardo’sCatch-22National IRO NetworkThe Foster Care AssociatesChildren and Family Court Advisory Support ServiceAchieving for ChildrenTri-boroughLeeds City CouncilLincolnshire County CouncilNorth Yorkshire County Council

Schools: Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence she used to calculate the weighting given to the pupil mobility factor in proposals for the school funding formula.

Nick Gibb: In the second stage of the national funding formula consultation, we set out how we will calculate the weighting given to the mobility factor in the first year of implementation. In 2018-19, we will allocate funding to local authorities on an historic basis, reflecting the amount they put through the mobility factor in the previous year.In the second stage consultation document, we also confirmed our intention to work with stakeholders to develop a more sophisticated mobility factor for use from 2019-20 onwards. This will include consideration of the appropriate weighting for the factor in the longer term.

Nurseries: Staff

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2017 to Question 60537, what the timescale will be for the Government's early years workforce strategy.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is currently developing a workforce strategy that will aim to remove the barriers to attracting, retaining and developing the early years workforce. The strategy will be published in due course.

Extended Schools

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of school-age children regularly attend a school breakfast club.

Edward Timpson: This data is not held centrally by the Department.

After School Clubs

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of school-age children regularly attend an after-school club.

Edward Timpson: This data can be found in the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents, which is published every two years. Data from the most recent survey, published in March 2016, for 2014 to 2015 shows use of childcare providers, including ‘after-school club or activity’, during their most recent term-time week by age of child (in Table 2.3 of the main report). This table and accompanying information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2014-to-2015

GCE A-level

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students achieved three or more A grade or higher A-levels in each ethnic group for each year since 2006.

Nick Gibb: The information is not held in the format requested.

Schools: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2016 to Question 56753, what mechanisms the national funding formula will use to account for the cost pressures which schools face.

Nick Gibb: The Government places a high priority on education, recognising its importance to productivity and social mobility. At the 2015 Spending Review the overall envelope for schools funding to 2019-20 was set, taking into account anticipated new costs on schools. At the Spending Review, the core schools budget[1] was protected in real terms - as a result, throughout this Parliament, the money available for our schools will increase as pupil numbers rise. The new, fairer National Funding Formula will ensure that the resources allocated at the Spending Review is distributed fairly, consistently and transparently across the country to match school and pupil need. This will end the current system where pupils and schools in identical circumstances attract differing funding levels due to where they live.  We are also committed to providing support for schools to make the most of their money. In January, we published a wide range of tools and support available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency, and we recently launched a school buying strategy to support schools to save over £1bn a year by 2019-20 on their non-staff spend. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-and-autumn-statement-2015-documents

Social Services: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to prohibit subsidiaries of profit-making companies from contracting with local authorities to run child protection and other children's social care services.

Edward Timpson: The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 (Relevant Care Functions) (England) Regulations 2014 are clear that local authorities may not contract out child protection functions to any organisation that is operated for profit. The Government has no intention of revisiting the settled position on this matter.

Home Education

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what statutory guidance exists on protecting the welfare of students who are being educated at home.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding is provided by her Department for safeguarding of students who are being educated at home.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to ensure that children who are being educated at home are safeguarded.

Edward Timpson: The Government sets a clear statutory framework for safeguarding and child protection. The statutory framework makes it clear, that local authorities have overarching duties for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of individual children and young people in their area, established through the Children Act 1989. Specifically, section 17 of that Act requires local authorities to provide services to children in need in their area, no matter where they live or where they are educated. Section 47 of the same Act requires local authorities to investigate whether action should be taken by them to safeguard or promote the welfare of children suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. The statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015), sets out how these duties should be complied with by local authorities. In addition, the Government has issued separate non-statutory advice for local authorities on elective home education, which contains guidance in relation to safeguarding. Local authority revenue expenditure on children’s social care is funded from the general local government settlement. Local authority expenditure on children’s services is around £7bn (safeguarding, adoption, looked after children, family services; of which £5.9bn is comprised of safeguarding, adoption and looked after children services).

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Sick Leave

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many senior civil servants in her Department were on a leave of absence from work due to mental illness in each month since January 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: The number of Senior Civil Servants (SCS) recorded on a leave of absence from work due to a Mental Health related illness in each month since April 2011 is tabled below. Data prior to this date is not held. Financial YearMonthTOTALFY 2011/12Apr-110May-110Jun-110Jul-110Aug-110Sep-111Oct-111Nov-111Dec-110Jan-121Feb-121Mar-121FY 2012/13Apr-121May-121Jun-120Jul-120Aug-120Sep-120Oct-122Nov-122Dec-121Jan-131Feb-131Mar-131  FY 2013/14Apr-131May-130Jun-130Jul-130Aug-130Sep-131Oct-130Nov-130Dec-130Jan-141Feb-142Mar-141FY 2014/15Apr-141May-141Jun-141Jul-142Aug-142Sep-141Oct-141Nov-140Dec-140Jan-150Feb-150Mar-151FY 2015/16Apr-150May-150Jun-150Jul-150Aug-150Sep-150Oct-150Nov-150Dec-150Jan-160Feb-160Mar-160 This data includes staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service, Legal Aid Agency, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and Office of the Public Guardian. Individuals are included if they were absent for any part of the month. Where an absence straddles more than one month it is included in each. The MoJ is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all of its employees and to reducing sickness absence levels. The department’s wellbeing strategy, which was launched in November 2015, was designed specifically to reflect the primary causes of sickness absence including mental health. It contains reference to support available to both employees and managers. To coincide with the launch, Directors General in NOMS and MoJ HQ were appointed as senior advocates for attendance management and wellbeing in MoJ.

Legal Profession: Equality

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to increase diversity in (a) the legal sector and (b) among paralegals.

Sir Oliver Heald: Our world-leading legal services industry is based on the talent of those who work within in. We want to do more to encourage talented people from all backgrounds to succeed in the profession. There is already a good framework in place. The Legal Services Board and Approved Regulators have a duty to promote competition in the provision of regulated legal services, and encourage an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession, and the LSB has recently consulted on how this can be better delivered. The Institute of Paralegals is an independent, non-statutory body that paralegals can choose to become members of. It sets standards and promotes its members as professional paralegals and has created the Professional Access Scheme which brings together various initiatives designed to widen access to legal careers, increase diversity within the sector and provide better careers information. The Lord Chancellor has met with the legal profession on a number of occasions to discuss how best to advance diversity, notably a recent roundtable of City firms, the Bar and the Senior judiciary. She has made it clear that widening the talent pool, including identifying opportunities to improve social empowerment and mobility for those wishing to enter the legal profession is one of her main priorities. A series of cross sector working groups are being established to progress a number of key work strands, one of which will specifically consider how to further improve diversity in the legal sector.

Reparation by Offenders

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department has received to date from its pilot on restorative justice approaches in prisons; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: A pilot to test restorative approaches to resolving conflict between prisoners, and between prisoners and staff, started at two sites (HMP Featherstone and HMP Buckley Hall) in June 2016. The evaluation of this pilot will conclude in autumn 2017. The pilot is being delivered by Restorative Solutions, a community interest company, with funding from the Monument Trust. We receive regular updates on progress, but there are no plans for a formal interim evaluation report.

Reparation by Offenders

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the effect of not ring-fencing funding for Police and Crime Commissioner spending on restorative justice on the availability of such justice for victims of crime; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: The government funds Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to deliver a range of services for victims of crime, including restorative justice services. We did, from 2013/14 to 2015/16, set out an indicative budget for restorative justice services for victims, however, this money was never ring-fenced. It was always available to PCCs to spend on wider victims’ services in line with the principle that PCCs are well placed to determine what services are required in their local areas. We are working with PCCs to introduce consistent outcome measures across all victim services, including restorative justice. This will allow us to take a more detailed and systematic approach to identifying and sharing good practice and driving up performance.

Claims Management Services

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations she has received on the matter of banning claims management companies.

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of banning claims management companies.

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will assess the potential merits of banning claims management companies.

Sir Oliver Heald: The government recently consulted on measures to reform the whiplash claims process, and sought feedback on whether any specific measures should be put in place in relation to claims management companies (CMCs) operating in the personal injury sector. This important consultation closed on 6 January 2017. The Government has undertaken to publish its response to the consultation by 7 April. The government commissioned a fundamental review of the regulation of CMCs which reported in 2016. Carol Brady considered the regulation and role of CMCs and concluded that a tougher regulatory regime should be established. The government has committed to strengthening regulation further by transferring responsibility to the Financial Conduct Authority with powers to require all CMCs to be re-authorised and to hold managers of CMCs directly accountable for the actions of their businesses.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many mental health services in prisons the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Probation has visited since she was appointed.

Dr Phillip Lee: As well as visits relevant to my other responsibilities, since July 2016 I have visited 10 prisons, young offender institutes and secure training centres to view various aspects of their regimes, including mental health services.

Prisoners' Transfers: Republic of Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Irish citizens in prison within the UK have requested transfers to prisons in the Republic of Ireland in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In 2016, 15 prisoners in England and Wales sought transfer to prisons in the Republic of Ireland. Transfers of prisoners from Scotland and from Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the relevant devolved authorities.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to publish its legislative proposals stemming from its consultation, Reforming the Soft Tissue Injury (Whiplash) Claims Process, of November 2016.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government plans to publish its legislative proposals shortly.

Children: Custody

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to introduce guidance for courts on providing both parents with 50-50 access to their children on divorce as a default unless specific circumstances demonstrate otherwise; and if she will make a statement.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government’s view is that when there is a dispute about child arrangements and a parent asks a court to determine those arrangements, the existing law provides a framework which best serves the interests of both children and parents. If the court determines that a shared residence arrangement is necessary to meet the child’s welfare needs it can make an order to that effect. While the welfare of the child is the courts paramount consideration, the court must by law presume that the involvement of a parent in the life of the child concerned will further that child’s welfare, unless the contrary can be shown. The nature and extent of that involvement will then be determined by the court based on the facts in each case. In determining the child’s welfare needs the court will apply the factors set out in the ‘welfare checklist’ in the Children Act 1989. These include the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child concerned, the impact on the child of any change in circumstances, and how capable each parent is of meeting the child’s needs. The court will also consider any harm the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering, which could include any harm from witnessing domestic violence.

Prime Minister

USA: Nuclear Disarmament

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Prime Minister, what plans she has to discuss with President Trump his policy on reducing nuclear weapons through negotiations during her forthcoming visit to the US.

Mrs Theresa May: I discussed a range of issues with President Trump, including defence and security issues. The UK Government remains determined to continue to work with partners across the international community to prevent proliferation and to make progress on multilateral nuclear disarmament.

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Submarines: Scotland

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on his Department's plans for the management of nuclear waste generated by decommissioned nuclear submarines and soon to be decommissioned submarines in Scotland.

Harriett Baldwin: Stakeholder engagement about Nuclear Liabilities Management in Scotland including the Submarine Dismantling Project is ongoing with a range of interested parties, including the Scottish Government.

Trident Missiles: Testing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will conduct a review of Trident testing procedures.

Sir Michael Fallon: No. The Demonstration and Shakedown Operation conducted by the Royal Navy resulted in the successful certification of HMS Vengeance, allowing her to return to the operational cycle.

Aircraft Carriers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the fleet of the Royal Navy has the operational capacity to be able to fully support the operational deployment of both the new aircraft carriers.

Harriett Baldwin: The Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers will operate as part of a Maritime Task Group, which will be tailored to meet the required task. While the precise number and mix of vessels deployed would depend on the operational circumstances at the time, we will be able to draw from a range of modern and highly capable vessels to provide support, including the Type 45 Destroyers, Type 23 Frigates, the Astute Class submarines and, in the longer term, the Type 26 Global Combat Ships.

Trident Missiles: Testing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK (a) armed forces personnel and (b) guests attending (i) Royal Navy SSGN and Trident II D5 Demonstrations and (ii) Shakedown Operations in (A) 2013 and (B) 2016 were accommodated in US hotels; and for how long such people were so accommodated.

Sir Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Friday 27 January 2017 to Questions 61391, 61448, 61399, 61401, 61391 and 61405



61391 - WQnA extract on Trident Missile Testing
(Word Document, 14.93 KB)

Helicopters: RNAS Culdrose

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the future of the depth servicing of helicopters at RNAS Culdrose.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department has a 25 year support contract with Leonardo Helicopters to complete depth maintenance activity on Merlin helicopters at Royal Naval Air Service Culdrose. There are no plans to change this. I am looking forward to visiting the site this week.

Armed Forces: Health

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the number of (a) regular (i) soldiers, (ii) sailors and (iii) airmen and (b) reserve (A) soldiers, (B) sailors and (C) airmen was by medical category for each year since 2001.

Mark Lancaster: Under the Armed Forces Medical Deployability Standard (MDS) categories, Medically Fully Deployable (MFD) personnel are those who are medically fit for duty with no employment limitations. Medically Limited Deployable (MLD) personnel are those medically fit for duty with minor employment limitations. They may have a medical condition or functional limitation that prevents the meeting of all MFD requirements. Medically Not Deployable (MND) personnel are those medically fit for duty with major employment limitations. They are not fit to deploy on operations but may be deployable on UK based exercises. The following table shows the number of UK Regular Armed Forces personnel by MDS category in each year from 2010 to 2016, as at 1 April. Like for like data is not available before 2010.  AllMFDMLDMNDMDS Not Known1 April 2010All Services 177,897 143,25318,10113,6152,928Naval Service 35,502 28,3661,8432,9382,355Army 102,261 80,54614,7866,736193RAF 40,134 34,3411,4723,9413801 April 2011All Services 176,816 143,27818,82813,800910Naval Service 35,426 29,7931,9952,882756Army 101,303 79,09215,2176,95242RAF 40,087 34,3931,6163,9661121 April 2012All Services 170,010 137,86617,86614,21167Naval Service 33,287 28,4281,7862,866207Army 98,598 76,78114,3197,48018RAF 38,125 32,6571,5613,865421 April 2013All Services 160,712 130,77015,46414,352126Naval Service 31,423 26,7991,8252,697102Army 93,939 73,66812,2378,02113RAF 35,350 30,3031,4023,634111 April 2014All Services 150,891 122,61613,81114,39668Naval Service 30,509 25,8661,7322,85952Army 87,176 68,56410,6677,9387RAF 33,206 28,1861,4123,59991 April 2015All Services 144,117 116,12513,40114,54744Naval Service 30,058 25,3381,8462,84034Army 82,231 63,85410,1228,2469RAF 31,828 26,9331,4333,46111 April 2016All Services 140,432 112,02413,55114,82235Naval Service 29,702 24,8501,9322,89228Army 79,746 61,43110,0018,3086RAF 30,984 25,7431,6183,6221 Data for Future Reserves 2020 personnel is available from 2013 to 2016 and is as follows:  AllMFDMLDMNDMDS Not Known1 April 2013All Services 29,388 24,5142,3221,4221,130Maritime Reserves 2,610 2,1966849297Army Reserves 25,238 21,0562,2321,290660RAF Reserves 1,540 1,26222831731 April 2014All Services 28,147 22,9352,5541,4801,178Maritime Reserves 2,850 2,33510669340Army Reserves 23,578 19,2782,4091,319572RAF Reserves 1,719 1,32239922661 April 2015All Services 30,814 23,8982,7701,5642,582Maritime Reserves 3,157 2,45712174505Army Reserves 25,438 19,8842,5921,3921,570RAF Reserves 2,219 1,55757985071 April 2016All Services 34,755 26,1803,1051,6763,794Maritime Reserves 3,541 2,883131104423Army Reserves 28,672 21,3982,8881,4802,906RAF Reserves 2,542 1,8998692465 Future Reserves 2020 personnel include volunteer reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves and volunteer reserve personnel serving on Additional Duties Commitment or Full Time Reserve Service contracts. Future Reserves 2020 also include sponsored Reserves, but excludes Regular Reserves, Non Regular Permanent Staff, Expeditionary Forces Institute and University Officer Cadets.

Defence: Expenditure

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on NATO's two per cent GDP spending target.

Mike Penning: Government Ministers and officials regularly discuss with NATO Allies this Defence Investment Pledge, which was a key outcome of the NATO summit in Wales in 2014.The UK already meets this target, will continue to do so for the rest of this decade, and the summer Budget and Spending Review committed to increase Defence spending by 0.5 per cent above inflation every year until 2021.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which NATO allied countries provided Maritime Patrol Aircraft inside UK airspace on 25 January 2017.

Mike Penning: Two United States Navy P-8A aircraft and one Canadian CP-140 aircraft flew sorties in UK airspace on 25 January 2017.

Romania: NATO

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, When he plans for RAF Typhoons to deploy to Romania as part of NATO's southern air policing operations.

Mike Penning: UK Typhoon from 3 Squadron, RAF Conningsby, will contribute to NATO’s Southern Air Policing mission this summer. We are working with NATO, Romania, and other key Allies, including Italy and Turkey, to design and deliver our deployment.

Estonia: Deployment

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his plans are for the basing of UK armed forces in Estonia.

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier today to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski).

Trident Missiles: Testing

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will establish an independent inquiry to carry out an official review of the test of a Trident II D5 missile fired by HMS Vengeance off the coast of Florida on 20 June 2016.

Sir Michael Fallon: No.

Department for Work and Pensions

Bereavement Payment

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to extend bereavement payment to the parents or guardians of children who have died.

Caroline Nokes: We have no current plans to extend Bereavement Payments to the parents or guardians of children who have died. Bereavement Payments are lump sum payments made to those whose spouse or civil partner has died in cases where the deceased has paid sufficient National Insurance contributions in order to qualify. Bereavement Payments are one of the bereavement benefits that will be replaced by the new Bereavement Support Payment for deaths occurring on or after 6 April 2017

Universal Credit: Internet

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of universal credit claimants have required assistance to complete their online account in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Hinds: This information is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of universal credit are defined as being self-employed.

Damian Hinds: As outlined in the strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit (UC) in December 2016, officials are currently assessing the data for UC and will only release information once the necessary quality assurance work has taken place. These statistics will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for official statistics. Universal Credit official statistics and the Departments release strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics.

Social Security Benefits: Early Retirement

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of administering working age benefits to people who have retired on health grounds but not yet reached pensionable age.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Occupational Pensions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Master Trust products have been independently reviewed against the Master Trust Assurance framework.

Richard Harrington: DWP does not hold the information requested as the Master Trust Assurance Framework is voluntary and overseen by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. The data which most closely matches that requested can be found on the Pension Regulator’s website, at the following address: http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/doc-library/dc-trust-presentation-of-scheme-return-data-2017.aspx The Pension Regulator publishes annual statistics on occupational defined contribution trust-based pension schemes and memberships. The latest data shows that on 31st December 2016, 13 Master Trusts were on the published list of schemes that have achieved Master Trust assurance. This figure does not include any Master Trusts that may have achieved Master Trust assurance but do not appear on the list, for example because they have chosen not to or are in the process of applying. As mentioned above, the Master Trust Assurance Framework accreditation process is voluntary. A scheme wishing to undertake this accreditation will engage a Reporting Accountant to carry out the work. There are no requirements for schemes to inform the Regulator that they are undertaking an assurance exercise or to provide the report, unless they wish to apply to join the Regulator’s published list.

Pension Credit: British Nationals Abroad

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to allow people temporarily living abroad to claim pension credit for longer.

Richard Harrington: Pension Credit is an income-related, non-taxable benefit which is intended to provide people of pension age with financial assistance to enable a minimum guaranteed amount to meet living costs in Great Britain. It is a basic condition of entitlement that a person be in Great Britain to receive it. Although Pension Credit is not intended to subsidise absences from Great Britain, in certain circumstances entitlement to the benefit can continue during a temporary absence abroad. It is the Government’s view that the current rule, which allows entitlement to continue for up to four consecutive weeks during a period of absence from Great Britain, is reasonable and justified. It allows time, for example, for holidays and visiting families, without a person having to reclaim Pension Credit on their return to Great Britain. There are exceptions to the general four week rule. Pension Credit can continue for up to 26 weeks where medical treatment or medically approved convalescence is required outside Great Britain. Where the absence is in connection with a death of a partner or close relative then entitlement can continue for up to eight weeks. This approach aligns Pension Credit and Housing Benefit with Universal Credit and provides consistency across these benefits and we have no plans to change this.

Skin Diseases

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in each parliamentary constituency who receive employment and support allowance have been diagnosed with (a) hidradenitis suppurativa and (b) a dermatological condition in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The specific information requested in part (a) is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Statistics on the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants with a primary medical condition of ‘Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous system’ by Parliamentary Constituency can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.aspGuidance for users is available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Employment and Support Allowance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons a person is required to meet a minimum level of national insurance contributions before they are eligible to receive employment support allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is an earnings replacement benefit which has both contributory and income-related elements. The structure of ESA means that those who are most in need can still be protected by the income-related element of the benefit even if no National Insurance contributions have been made. The principle of National Insurance is that, by paying a minimum level of contributions, people insure themselves against a range of risks which may interrupt their employment including illness.

Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department will implement plans to cease work capability assessments re-assessments for employment and support allowance claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities where the condition is unlikely to improve; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: This change will come into effect in 2017 and will apply to those placed in Employment and Support Allowance’s Support Group and the Universal Credit equivalent. Whilst the new criteria and process for this group of claimants is developed, we do not plan to reassess claimants who had the most severe health conditions or disabilities when they had their first Work Capability Assessment. We are currently working with stakeholders to develop the new criteria and, when finalised, we will revisit this group to confirm the position, but we expect this will not require a face-to-face assessment.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total amount in maintenance arrears of non-resident parents is under the (a) Child Support Agency and (b) Child Maintenance Service.

Caroline Nokes: The total amount in maintenance arrears of non-resident parents under the Child Support Agency was £3,475.8m as of September 2016. This is published in table 15 of the CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics for Great Britain, which can be found online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-september-2016 The total amount in maintenance arrears of non-resident parents on the Child Maintenance Service was £92.8m as of November 2016. This is published in Table 8 of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) Experimental Statistics, which can be found online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme-aug-2013-to-nov-2016-experimental Additionally, up until the end of September 2016, Child Support Agency arrears totaling £352.7m had been transferred to the Child Maintenance Service system.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional work coaches will be employed in (a) Rutherglen Jobcentre and (b) total across Glasgow's jobcentres as a result of the planned jobcentre closures there.

Damian Hinds: Detailed site level information on anticipated work coach levels is not yet available, but we are recruiting and expect to have more work coaches in 2018 than we have today. The face to face support our work coaches offer at Jobcentres will continue to be a core part of the service we deliver.

Asos: Barnsley

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Jobcentre Plus offices have made referrals to Asos' online distribution centre in Barnsley.

Damian Hinds: Jobcentre plus have not referred claimants directly to Asos’ online distribution centre in Barnsley. However referrals have been made to companies contracted by Asos’.

Parkinson's Disease: Young People

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to assessors on dealing with young people who have Parkinson's disease.

Penny Mordaunt: All health professionals receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes a functional evaluation as to how medical conditions and the long-term medical treatment of those conditions affect an individual’s ability to perform day-to-day activities. Prior to carrying out an assessment they routinely refresh their knowledge of any condition with which they are not fully familiar.

Personal Independence Payment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of unsuccessful claims for personal independence payments were overturned at the mandatory reconsideration stage in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Penny Mordaunt: The table below gives statistics on the number and proportion of disallowed claims to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) where the initial decision was overturned at mandatory reconsideration (MR). Table 1 – claims to PIP disallowed at initial decision where an award was made after an MR VolumePercentageMandatory Reconsiderations requested after being disallowed PIP at initial decision103,200 Award Changed at mandatory reconsideration stage after being disallowed PIP at initial decision13,50013% The number of decisions changed at mandatory reconsideration after being disallowed PIP at initial decision represents under 2% of all PIP decisions. Notes:Data relates to claims where the initial decision was made between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016.Figures are for Great Britain only.PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants, and is for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims.Data has been rounded to the nearest 100.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of unsuccessful claims for employment support allowance were overturned at the mandatory reconsideration stage in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Penny Mordaunt: The last 12 months for which figures are available is March 2015 – March 2016, set out in the table below. ESA WCA decisions439,620MR decisions56,920Decisions overturned4,510 or 8%

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Floods: Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of home insurers have (i) met and (ii) failed to meet their quotas to issue insurance policies to properties in high flood-risk areas in the last two years; and on how many occasions the Financial Conduct Authority has taken action against insurers who failed to meet those quotas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Since the Scheme’s launch in April 2016, over 45 insurers are now offering Flood Re backed policies, representing over 90% of the market. Between April and September 2016, the Flood Re Scheme has provided backing to 53,000 policies. We have no powers to force insurers to make use of Flood Re. These powers, in the Water Act 2014, relate to the flood obligation. Given that Flood Re is operating well, Ministers currently have no intention to use these powers.

Floods: Housing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many properties in (a) Hull and (b) each nomenclature of territorial units for statistic region 1 of England are on the Environment Agency's register of properties at higher risk of flooding; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of such properties in each of those areas that have been insured through the Flood Re scheme.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency estimates 585 properties to be in areas at high risk of flooding in Hull. The table below summarises the number of properties in areas at high risk of flooding (as of January 2017) in each nomenclature of territorial units for statistic region 1 or NUTS1 regions of England. High risk means there is a greater than a 3.3% chance of flooding in any given year. LocationNUTS1 codeNumber of properties (residential and non-residential) at high risk of flooding in EnglandEast Midlands (England)UKF30,167East Of EnglandUKH36,444LondonUKI16,219North East (England)UKC5,688North West (England)UKD21,386South East (England)UKJ73,236South West (England)UKK43,742West Midlands (England)UKG19,196Yorkshire And The HumberUKE23,755Total 269,833 Since the Scheme’s launch in April 2016, over 45 insurers are now offering Flood Re backed policies, representing over 90% of the market. Between April and September 2016, the Flood Re Scheme has provided backing to 53,000 policies. Flood Re Scheme has provided backing to 53,000 policies across the UK. Flood Re expect the number of 350,000 UK households. The distribution of properties backed by Flood Re is decided by the choices of individual insurers, who decide whether a property should be supported by the Scheme, based on the insurers’ assessment of a property’s flood risk. Flood Re expect to provide more detail on the policies backed by the Scheme this summer.

Fly-tipping and Litter

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) environmental effect and (b) cost to the public purse  of littering and fly tipping on (i) beaches, (ii) marine life, (iii) farms and (iv) urban areas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have made no specific assessment of the environmental effects of litter and fly-tipping, nor of the costs of clearing litter and fly-tipped waste in these areas. Data on local government spending, including on street cleansing (which includes tackling litter and fly-tipping) can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing .The cost of litter clearance is not recorded separately: the figures reported for spending on street cleansing also include spending on clearing fly-tipped waste, and on activities which would be required even if all litter was disposed of appropriately (such as sweeping up fallen leaves, or emptying public bins). We estimate the annual cost to local government of clearing litter in England runs to hundreds of millions of pounds.The UK Marine Strategy Part One, published in 2012, presented an initial assessment of the state of UK seas. An updated assessment of the state of our seas is currently being prepared. Defra conducts monitoring of litter on beaches, in the water column and on the seafloor. We consider that the best way to address both the environmental and economic impact is to prevent litter entering the marine environment in the first place. The UK Marine Strategy Part Three, published in 2015, sets out a comprehensive set of actions we are taking to address litter in the marine environment.Data on fly-tipping for England is published at:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england.This includes information on the cost to local authorities of clearing fly-tipped waste and of taking enforcement actions against fly-tipping.

Poaching

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of poaching incidents in the UK in each of the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Data from the Ministry of Justice in the table below provides the best available information and concerns the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences related to poaching in England and Wales from 2011 to 2015. This includes offences under the Deer act 1991 sec. 1(4),9, the Game Act 1831 sec. 30, the Night Poaching Act 1828 sec. 1, and the Poaching Prevention Act 1862 sec. 2.  The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts of offences related to poaching, England and Wales, 2011-2015 latest available.20112012201320142015338316344315189

Fly-tipping

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the Government's progress on preventing fly-tipping; and when the fly-tipping in England 2015 to 2016 statistics will be published.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are committed to tackling fly-tipping and, as set out in the Government’s manifesto, have given local councils the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small-scale fly-tipping. These new enforcement tools have been available to councils since May 2016, providing them with an alternative to prosecutions and assisting them in taking a proportionate enforcement response. This builds on other Government action to tackle fly-tipping, which has included: working with the Sentencing Council on its guideline for sentencing for environmental offences; making it easier for vehicles suspected of being involved in waste crime to be stopped, searched and seized; and continuing our work with the Defra chaired National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice in the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipped waste. The 2015/16 fly tipping data for England, including the number and type of incidents of illegally deposited waste, the cost of dealing with them and the actions taken, is expected to be published in March. The actual publication date will be confirmed shortly and will be available via the Office for National Statistics website:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics.

Badgers: Animal Welfare

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent badger baiting.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 prohibits activities associated with badger baiting. The main offences under the 1992 Act carry heavy penalties, including an unlimited fine and/or up to six months’ imprisonment. Badger persecution is one of the six wildlife crime priorities for the UK and is subject to a prevention, intelligence and enforcement plan led at Chief Constable level. The National Wildlife Crime Unit, which Defra helps fund, works to prevent and detect wildlife crime, including badger baiting.

Fly-tipping and Litter

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) ten types of item most commonly discarded as litter and (b) ten areas in which littering and fly-tipping are most prevalent in England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Assessments of the composition of litter vary, depending on the methodology used to sample sites and to categorise the litter found there. The Local Environmental Quality Survey of England (LEQSE) was carried out by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of Defra from 2001-2015. It provided information on the overall cleanliness of the country by looking at indicators of local environmental quality including littering, graffiti and fly-posting. This survey assesses the prevalence of types of litter but does not count the number of items of each type that were found. The 2014/15 survey found that the top ten types of litter found on the highest percentage of sites were:Smokers’ materialsConfectionery packsNon-alcoholic drinks-relatedFast-food relatedSnack packs (packaging associated with pre-prepared snack food)Other packagingAlcoholic drinks-relatedPaper tissuesVehicle partsDiscarded food/drink We have made no specific assessment of the areas in which littering is most prevalent. The 2013/14 LEQSE report includes some assessment of regional variations in local environmental quality, although the differences found between regions were not statistically significant. The LEQSE reports for 2013/14 and 2014/15 can be found online at: http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/leqse/1611 Data on fly-tipping for England is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england.This includes information on the cost to local authorities of clearing fly-tipped waste and of taking enforcement action against fly-tipping. The 2015/16 fly tipping data for England is expected to be published in March. The actual publication date will be confirmed shortly and will be available via the ONS website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics.

Plastic Bags: Fees and Charges

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to require retailers who charge for single use carrier bags to donate all profits from that charge to good causes.

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that revenue generated by retailers from charging for single use carrier bags is donated to good causes.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: As the single use carrier bags charge is not a tax, the Government does not have the power to take the proceeds of the charge nor to determine where the charge goes. However, we expect retailers to donate the proceeds of the charge to good causes such as charities or community groups. Retailers are required to report on the uses to which the proceeds of the charge have been put to encourage them to do so. Any additional change in policy would require an assessment of cost and efficacy implications. The Single Use Carrier Bags Charges (England) Order 2015 requires the Secretary of State to carry out a review of this Order before 5 October 2020.

Water: EU Law

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the contents of the EU Water Framework Directive will be transposed in full into UK law as part of the Great Repeal Bill.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Prime Minister announced last year our plans for a Repeal Bill that will convert current EU law into domestic British law. Our intention is to ensure a smooth and orderly transition via the Repeal Bill. Without pre-judging what our future relationship with the EU will be or future decisions Parliament may make, this will provide as much certainty as possible by maintaining the existing laws; and this will include the laws that transpose the EU Water Framework Directive.

UK Trade with EU

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to secure access to EU markets for (a) UK exports and (b) Scotch whisky in negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: Retaining market access between the UK and the EU will be a significant benefit to the food and farming sectors in both the UK and Europe. In 2015, the UK exported £11 billion of agri-food and drink products to the EU, and imported £28 billion. We aim to secure a mutually beneficial deal that delivers market access for the benefit of food and drink producers both in the UK and the EU.

Air Pollution

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason local authorities have no direct responsibility to control PM2.5 concentrations; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Local authorities do have a role to play in tackling fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and this was introduced through statutory guidance published last April. It requires local authorities to work towards reducing emissions and concentrations of PM2.5 in their local area alongside measures to tackle other pollutants. Local authorities do have powers available to them to help tackle key sources of PM such as those to establish Smoke Control Areas and on transport. The Public Health Outcomes Framework also includes an indicator based on PM2.5 impacts on mortality. This was introduced to support local authority public health professionals and air quality managers to appraise PM2.5 levels in their area.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Plans

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the duty to cooperate in the development of local plans.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 16 January 2017



Government is clear that local planning authorities must work together to plan for common strategic interests. However, we have heard concerns about the effectiveness of the duty to co-operate. The Local Plans Expert Group in particular raised the difficulties that some areas have in providing for the housing they need within their own boundaries. Through the Neighbourhood Planning Bill, we said that we want to see more collaboration by authorities to address issues that require solutions across geographical boundaries.We continue to consider options to ensure authorities effectively collaborate on common strategic issues and will be publishing a Housing White Paper shortly.

Right to Buy Scheme: Publications

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) producing and (b) distributing the Right to Buy information booklet to households.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



The Right to Buy campaign aims to ensure that eligible social housing tenants are aware of the increased discounts available through the Right to Buy scheme as well as changes to the scheme and that those who are interested in taking up this opportunity to be a home owner, know where to obtain the necessary information to help them decide if it is right for them.The direct marketing activity sets out to raise awareness of and eligibility of Right to Buy as Right to Buy can only be exercised by eligible tenants if they know about it, can check their eligibility and have sufficient information about their Right to Buy.For the last wave of marketing in October 2016, we sent leaflets to a combination of 789,695 households informing them of their legal Right to Buy their home. The Department spent the following:1. Production/ Printing/ Postage: £75,116.602. Distribution/ Data purchase: £60,951.67The direct marketing activity has driven a strong response over the last 4 years of the campaign with a conversion rate of around 8% which is significantly higher than industry norms and has also led to improved efficiencies in local authorities through generating higher quality applications– further evidence of value for money.The cost of the production and distribution of the Direct Marketing equates to 18 pence per leaflet. Over 63,000 tenants have now been able to buy their homes since April 2012, generating £3.5 billion in additional sales receipts. There were 12,000 sales in 2015-16, nearly 5 times higher than pre-reinvigoration sales in 2011-12.Under the reinvigorated Right to Buy, local authorities are now able to keep the receipts from additional Right to Buy sales to pay off debt and fund additional affordable housing.

Right to Buy Scheme: Publications

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department used to decide where the  Right to Buy information booklet was distributed.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



The Right to Buy campaign aims to ensure that eligible social housing tenants are aware of the increased discounts available through the Right to Buy scheme.The Direct Marketing activity sets out to raise awareness of the scheme and eligibility as Right to Buy can only be exercised by eligible tenants if they have sufficient information about their Right to Buy.Direct marketing has been the most cost effective way to reach eligible council and housing association tenants.Our targeting approach is based on a combination of social housing stock and penetration levels - we target higher stockholding areas to ensure reach and value for money across England.

Local Government Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much each local authority (a) received in revenue support grant and (b) collected in business rates in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 19 January 2017



a) Information on how much each local authority received in revenue support grant is collected and published online through the Revenue Expenditure and Financing Outturn statistics.Data, as reported by local authorities, for revenue support grant received are available in the Revenue Summary (RS) tables within the local authority data outturn collections: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financingThese are available from 2007-08 to 2015-16. Provisional data for 2016-17 is scheduled for publication in August 2017Please note: The revenue support grant forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government’s annual Local Government Finance Settlement. The calculation of how local government is funded differs year on year. Therefore figures may not be wholly comparable across the time-series.Additionally, between 2008-09 and 2009-10 there was local authority restructure so any data prior to 2009-10 is not comparable to later information.b) The amount of business rates collected by each authority is available in the National Non-Domestic Rates publication online.The local authority data for business rates collected are available as part of the ‘NNDR3’ data collection here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/national-non-domestic-rates-local-authority-level-dataThis is published and available from 2008-09 to 2015-16. Data for 2016-17 is provisionally scheduled for publication in November 2017Please note: There have been changes to the business rates and council tax policy since 2013-14. From April 2013, business rates moved from being a centrally redistributed function to one where the local government sector retains a percentage of what they collect. This change aims to increase the proportion of local authority spend that is financed by locally retained income, over which authorities will have more control. As part of the 2015 Spending Review, this is set to increase to 100% rate retention by 2020.

Communities and Local Government: Staff

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many officials of his Department are working full-time on preparations for the UK leaving the EU; and what proportion of his Department's staff that number represents.

Mr Marcus Jones: Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is doing detailed work with departments to prepare for the upcoming negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning.   Staff within the strategy team lead on providing advice to Ministers on EU Exit and exit-related issues as required.   Members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required.   Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department's other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.

Communities and Local Government: Sick Leave

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many senior civil servants in his Department were on a leave of absence from work due to mental illness in each month of each year since its creation.

Mr Marcus Jones: There have been seven separate occasions of absence lost to mental illness within the Senior Civil Service since the Department's creation in 2006. As such, the numbers are too small to disclose in the requested format without risk of identifying those in question.   As part of the Transparency Agenda, my Department publishes quarterly statistics on sickness absence and these are available from the departments website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data

Housing: Immigrants

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library all research on the effect of immigration on housing commissioned by his Department or produced internally since 2010.

Gavin Barwell: My department has published research on the effects of immigration on housing in a number of reports and statistical releases. The recent Casey Review presents evidence on the role of housing in the integration of immigrant populations. The English Housing Survey contains evidence on what proportion of housing is occupied by non-UK nationals. The household projections contain evidence on what proportion of household growth is attributable to net migration. Statistics published by my department on social lettings provide detail on how many social rented properties are let to non-UK nationals.The links to the documents referenced are below.Casey Review:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575973/The_Casey_Review_Report.pdfEnglish Housing Survey:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-housing-surveyHousehold Projections (2014 based):https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/household-projectionsSocial Housing Lettings (2015/16):https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575440/Social_housing_lettings_in_England_2015-16_revised_071216.pdf

Enterprise Zones: Midlands

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the role of rural enterprise zones in the Midlands growth engine.

Andrew Percy: As the Department responsible for Enterprise Zones and the Government’s lead on the Midlands Engine, we consider Enterprise Zones and Food Enterprise Zones to have an important role in stimulating growth in our rural economy, attracting investment and jobs to the Midlands Engine area.Two Enterprise Zones in predominantly rural areas of the Midlands Engine have helped to attract businesses and new investment from around the world. Five Food Enterprise Zones in Greater Lincolnshire, Melton and Wychavon will be working to attract investment and encourage greater collaboration between British food and farming businesses.

Communities and Local Government: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many visits by (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department to Coventry there have been in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 27 January 2017



Details of Ministerial overseas travel, and senior officials' business expenses are published on a quarterly basis. The remaining information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Construction

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the cap on borrowing to invest in new homes in each core city.

Gavin Barwell: There was £3.4 billion of borrowing headroom in 2015-16.You can find the last published information on borrowing headroom for each local authority in 2014-15 in: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-capital-expenditure-and-receipts-in-england-2014-to-2015-final-outturn

Lancashire County Council

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much Lancashire County Council received from central government in grants, excluding monies received from the local government finance settlements, in the last financial year.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 27 January 2017



In 2015-16, Lancashire County Council received £1.1 billion in central government grants.This includes Specific and special revenue grants, Local Services Support Grant (LSSG) and Capital grants from central government departments but does not include Revenue Support Grant or the Police Grant which form part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.The authority may additionally receive grants from other organisations. These would be recorded against the relevant service lines within the Other Income category in the Revenue Outturn statistics.Central Government Grant Income (excluding Settlement) for Lancashire, 2015-16  £ million2015-16Specific and special revenue grants991.1Local Services Support Grant (LSSG)2.8Capital grants from central government departments129.8Total Grant Income1,123.7  Source: Local Authority Revenue Outturn and Capital Outturn Returns 2015-16The level of non-ringfenced reserves for Lancashire County Council, as of the 31st March 2016, was £314.6 million.Reserves held by Lancashire, as of 31 March 2016£ million31 March 2016Schools Reserves79.8Public Health Reserves6.2Earmarked Reserves278.0Unallocated Reserves36.6Source: Local Authority Revenue Outturn and Capital Outturn Returns 2015-16

EU Grants and Loans

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on continuing regional aid funding at the same levels currently provided by the EU after 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Percy: The Government will want to consider the future of all programmes that are currently EU funded, once we have left the EU. Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. Over the coming months, we will consult closely with stakeholders to review all EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any on-going funding commitments best serve the UK's national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.

EU Grants and Loans: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total amount of regional aid funding for the West Midlands from EU sources which will be discontinued when the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Percy: The Chancellor's guarantee on EU funds means that the Government will honour projects agreed before the UK leaves the EU, even when they continue beyond Brexit. The Government will want to consider the future of all programmes that are currently EU funded, once we have left the EU. Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. Over the coming months, we will consult closely with stakeholders to review all EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any on-going funding commitments best serve the UK's national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.

Archaeological Sites: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to use the provisions of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to protect sites of archaeological interest subject to development.

Gavin Barwell: The planning system already contains strong protections for sites of archaeological interest. These protections will apply to measures introduced by the Housing and Planning Act.

Archaeological Sites: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons pre-commencement conditions have been removed from planning applications relating to archaeological considerations on a site due for development; and what alternative protections will be put in place to protect such sites.

Gavin Barwell: The planning conditions measure in the Neighbourhood Planning Bill will not restrict the ability of local planning authorities to propose conditions that are necessary to achieve sustainable development, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework.Where a pre-commencement condition is required to address archaeological considerations and meets the tests for conditions set out in national policy, then the authority can impose such a condition, with the agreement of the applicant. In the unlikely event that an applicant refuses to agree to such a pre-commencement condition being imposed, the local planning authority can refuse planning permission.

Business Rates Retention Scheme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the summary of responses to his Department's consultation on 100 per cent business rates retention; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Business Rates Retention Scheme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish details of the pilot schemes for 100 per cent business rates retention; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

First Time Buyers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the extent to which first-time home buyers receive financial help from their parents or another family member.

Gavin Barwell: According to the department's English Housing Survey, in 2014-15, 27% of first time buyers had help from friends and family to purchase their home. One in ten used an inheritance.

Rented Housing: Water Supply

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides on rental of a property without provision of drinking water; and if he will make a statement.

Gavin Barwell: Any property without basic amenities such as drinking water is a potential risk to the health and safety of the occupants. Local authorities have strong powers under the Housing Act 2004 to tackle such situations, including prohibiting the property from being used.The Renting a Safe Home Guide is aimed at helping tenants identify hazards of health risks, and provides advice on what to do if the property is unsafe.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Local Growth Deals

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish information on the Growth Deal allocation for each local enterprise partnership made under the Autumn Statement 2016.

Andrew Percy: At Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced regional Growth Deal awards worth £1.8 billion across England. Individual awards for Northern Powerhouse Local Enterprise Partnerships were announced and published on 23 January. We plan to announce all remaining Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal awards over the coming weeks.

Business Rates Retention Scheme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the introduction of the Business Rate Retention Scheme in April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Homelessness

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 17 January 2017, Homelessness Reduction Bill, HCWS 418, if he will place in the Library the evidential basis used to determine the level of funding to local government to meet the new burden costs associated with the Homelessness Reduction Bill.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Small Businesses: Non-domestic Rates

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from small businesses and their trade bodies on the potential effect of business rates revaluation on their businesses.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the future challenge of a growth in non-communicable diseases identified in her Department's Bilateral Development Review 2016, published in December 2016, what priority will be placed on the shift in balance of communicable and non-communicable diseases in steps taken to implement that review's conclusions.

James Wharton: The Bilateral Development Review made clear that Britain will continue to lead global efforts to fight the spread of infectious and communicable diseases, such as neglected tropical diseases, TB, and malaria.We will also remain a leader in helping countries to build stronger health systems. This will help countries address both current and future health challenges, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The UK additionally supports some specific NCD programmes, for example research on mental health, support for hepatitis B immunisation that prevents liver cancer, safe cook stoves to reduce household air pollution, and improving diagnosis, treatment and care for children with cancer in Burma, Bangladesh and Ghana.

HM Treasury

Loans

Matthew Pennycook: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to implement a requirement for payment services lenders to clearly stipulate what the total cost of the loan will be for the entirety of the loan period.

Simon Kirby: The Financial Conduct Authority requires firms to provide adequate pre-contractual explanations to enable consumers to assess whether the proposed credit agreement is suited to their needs and financial situation. The requirement to provide pre-contract information (including the “total charge for credit to be provided under the agreement”) is set out in the Consumer Credit (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2010 (subsequently amended by Consumer Credit (Amendment) Regulations 2010.) These regulations are made under s.55 Consumer Credit Act 1974 and implemented the various provisions in the Consumer Credit Directive requiring creditors under certain types of agreement to disclose information before the agreement is made.

Inflation

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to put in place measures to improve Government control over the rate of inflation.

Simon Kirby: Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England. The MPC has the primary objective, set out in law, of maintaining price stability, which is defined as an inflation target of 2 per cent as measured by the twelve month increase in the Consumer Prices Index. The remit of the MPC is set by the Chancellor, reaffirmed yearly in a letter to the Governor of the Bank of England, and was last affirmed in March 2016. The UK’s inflation targeting approach is part of a wider macroeconomic framework which has increased accountability and credibility and led to anchored inflation expectations.

EU Budget: Contributions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2017 to Question 60692, on EU budget: contributions, whether funding commitments made by the Government to the EU as a final settlement, once negotiations on the UK leaving the EU are complete, will not be funded so as to acquire new debt.

Mr David Gauke: The arrangements for withdrawal from the EU, including from the budget, will be a matter for the withdrawal agreement as part of the Article 50 process.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Northern Ireland: Republic of Ireland

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has met his Irish counterpart to discuss the future of the Ireland-UK border after the UK leaves the EU.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Foreign Secretary on the future of the Ireland-UK border after the UK leaves the EU.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the Irish government on the future of the Ireland-UK border after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government remains committed to working with the Irish Government. As the Prime Minister said in her speech on 17 January 2017, we place huge value on maintaining the UK’s unique arrangements with Ireland and the friendly, cooperative relationship we’ve built in recent years. Maintaining the Common Travel Area with Ireland will be an important priority in the UK’s EU Exit talks ahead. It was formed before either the UK or Ireland was a member of the European Union. The family ties and bonds of affection that unite our two countries mean that there will always be a special relationship between us.The Prime Minister met the Taoiseach in Dublin on 30 January and in London on 26 July 2016. In addition, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU met with Irish Ministers, including the Taoiseach, Tanaiste, Foreign and Europe Ministers, in Dublin on 8 September. Most recently, the Chancellor the Exchequer had meetings in Dublin on 9 January.During these meetings a range of issues were discussed, including the future of the UK-Ireland border after the UK leaves the EU. The open border for people and businesses has served us well. There is a very strong commitment from the Irish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive as well as ourselves to find a practical solution that recognises the unique circumstances on the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and the social, political and economic implications.In addition, four UK Government Ministers, including the Secretaries of State for both Northern Ireland and Wales, attended the British-Irish Council on 25 November.

Brexit

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has received representations on the UK leaving the EU from the governments of (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Italy and (d) Spain.

Mr David Jones: The Prime Minister and senior Ministers, including the Secretary of State, have engaged extensively across Europe with their counterparts. European leaders have welcomed the Prime Minister's Lancaster House speech and the clarity which it brought to our objectives for our relationship with the EU. The Prime Minister has been clear that we will not be commentating on what those discussions cover.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many civil service fast stream staff his Department employs.

Mr David Jones: All departments are equipping themselves with the resources they need to get the best deal for the UK. The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 300 staff, and is growing fast. We are not in a position to give a final total for particular groups of staff as recruitment is ongoing and we will not be giving a running commentary. The Department for Exiting the European Union is committed to the development of talent through a number of schemes including the Civil Service Fast Stream and Fast Track apprenticeships.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Consultants

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the total value is of contracts let between his Department and consultants has been since the establishment of that Department.

Mr David Jones: The Department for Exiting the European Union has used the services of a number of consultancy firms to support departmental set-up and planning. The cost to the public purse on each occasion was either nil, a nominal fee or at the same rate as a civil service salary.

UK Membership of EU

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has compiled a list of all UK rights and obligations arising from membership of EU agencies and institutions.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has compiled a list of all UK rights and obligations arising from third party agreements made by the EU to which the UK is a signatory.

Mr David Jones: We are doing all necessary preparatory work to make sure that we get the best deal for Britain, but as we have said before we will not provide a running commentary.

Trade Unions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2017 to Question 60756, if he will provide a list of the trade unions referred to in that Answer.

Mr David Jones: The Government has been consulting, and will continue to consult, with a broad range of stakeholders on the implications of our withdrawal from the European Union. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has met with the TUC and Unison.

Legislative Consent Motions

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department took prior to the Supreme Court ruling of 24 January 2017 to prepare draft legislative consent motions for the devolved administrations on the Bill on the Government triggering Article 50.

Mr David Jones: The Supreme Court agreed with the Government's view that foreign affairs are a reserved matter. This Bill does not trigger the legislative consent process but we will continue to work closely with the Devolved Administrations.

Business: North of England

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, on how many occasions he has met with businesses based in (a) Sheffield, (b) Leeds, (c) Manchester, (d) Newcastle, (e) Bradford, (f) Hull, (g) Liverpool and (h) Sunderland since 13 July 2016.

Mr David Jones: Ministers and officials across Government are engaging UK and EU business from every sector of the economy - this is a central element of our plan to get the right deal for Britain. We are listening and talking to a broad range of organisations, companies and institutions both in the UK, and abroad. Details of Ministerial meetings will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.

European Banking Authority

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions the Government has had with the European Banking Authority since the EU referendum.

Mr Robin Walker: Stakeholder engagement is a central element of our plan to build a national consensus around our negotiating position; the whole of the government is listening and talking to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible.

Department for International Trade

Trade Fairs: Germany

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reasons his Department decided not to provide funding for the Drinktec trade fair in Munich on 11-15 September 2017.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) is currently working with our delivery partners to agree the 2017/18 Tradeshow Access Programme. Funding for the Drinktec trade fair in Munich will be considered along with all other events proposed for support.Financial support and the trade shows selected for support are determined in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including Trade Challenge Partners, DIT approved delivery partners. The final 2017/18 Tradeshow Access Programme will be announced in due course.

Beer: Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of recent changes in the government funding provided to promote British businesses at trade shows on SME export growth in the brewing industry.

Mark Garnier: There have been no recent changes in the government funding provided to promote British businesses at trade shows. Support for UK small and medium-sized enterprises from all sectors has been consistent and unchanged throughout the current year, 2016/17.

Trade Promotion

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support bespoke business matching and (b) help UK businesses maximise their market presence overseas.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade has launched GREAT.gov.uk, a single destination for export and investment services. UK business can search thousands of export opportunities in markets around the world, be on-boarded onto the world’s largest global e-commerce sites or be connected directly with international buyers. The Department has 174 offices across 109 countries that support British businesses export.

Trade Fairs: USA

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of potential merits of increasing funding for stands in trade shows; and for what reasons his Department did not support such a stand at the Eureka Park start-up zone at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2017.

Mark Garnier: Financial support and the trade shows selected for support are determined in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including Trade Challenge Partners, DIT approved delivery partners. The decision not to support a stand at the Eureka Park start-up zone was taken in agreement with the above stakeholders and UK small and medium-sized enterprises themselves.

Whisky: Exports

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the export prospects for Scotch whisky after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier: Whisky is a major export worth £3.9 billion in 2015 and there are opportunities for future growth. We are fully engaged with the Scotch Whisky Association and are working to maintain access to current markets and open new ones through a range of tools to strengthen our trade relationships.

Department of Trade: Visits Abroad

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many overnight hotel stays for official purposes in other countries have been made by him and other ministers of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: As at 26 January 2017, Department for International Trade Ministers have been on 64 ministerial visits to 41 markets undertaken on 46 separate overseas trips. 59 ministerial visits involved at least one overnight stay.

Trade Promotion

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2017 to Question 60541, if he will list the number of employees in each of the permanent trade offices in the 108 overseas markets.

Mark Garnier: As of July 2016, the department employed 1256 staff across its trade offices in overseas markets. Details of UK trade offices will be updated on Gov.uk in due course.

Overseas Trade

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many companies in the (a) West Midlands and (b) UK have made export enquiries to his Department since it was created; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier: There have been 2,769 interactions with West Midlands businesses since July 2016. This includes a mixture of incoming enquiries and contact with existing clients.Further data is not held centrally and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her most recent estimate is of the percentage of geographic voice and data coverage provided by (a) O2, (b) EE, (c) Three and (d) Vodafone; and whether she expects those levels to reach 90 per cent geographic coverage for each of those operators by the end of 2017.

Matt Hancock: All four mobile network operators have a legally binding licence obligation to provide voice and SMS text coverage to 90% of the UK landmass by the end of 2017. Ofcom is responsible to enforce these obligations and the Digital Economy Bill, will give Ofcom the power to issue large fines to any operator who fails to meet their licence obligations. Further details can be found in Ofcom's 2016 Connected Nations Report: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-2016.

S4C: Reviews

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether it will be a requirement of the independent review of S4C that the reviewer be proficient in the Welsh language.

Matt Hancock: Yes.

House of Commons Commission

Members: Harassment

Stephen Timms: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent assessment the Commission has made of the level of online abuse of female hon. Members.

Tom Brake: Members are encouraged to report all social media abuse and threats to the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team (PLAIT), based in Westminster. This police unit provides support to individual Members about security concerns and co-ordinates the response with local forces.The House has a policy of not commenting publicly on specific security matters. However, the Parliamentary Security Director is happy to meet the right hon. Member to discuss the level of online abuse of female hon. Members.The Parliamentary Security Department, in conjunction with the police digital crime unit and social media companies, have run workshops for Members on this issue and provides general security advice on social media harassment.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for how long the post of Chief Scientific Adviser to his Department has been vacant; and what plans he has to advertise for and fill that vacancy.

Kris Hopkins: The Northern Ireland Office does not have a post of Chief Scientific Adviser.

Constituencies: Northern Ireland

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland on political stability in Northern Ireland.

Kris Hopkins: It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on specific recommendations. The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland’s review is ongoing and the public consultation on its provisional proposals concluded in November 2016. The Commission will publish all responses received in due course as part of a 4 week consultation during which written submissions on the responses are invited.

Business: Northern Ireland

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent meetings he has had with businesses in Northern Ireland to discuss the UK's exit from the EU.

James Brokenshire: Through my Business Advisory Group that I established in September, I and my Ministerial colleagues have had regular meetings with businesses in Northern Ireland. The Group brings together representatives from a broad range of sectors, to discuss a range of economic issues, including the impact and opportunities of the UK’s exit from the European Union. I will continue to meet businesses to ensure that their views are reflected in the process of exiting the European Union, so that we build a strong and prosperous economy in Northern Ireland that works for everyone.

Department of Health

Radiotherapy

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the (a) set-up and (b) training costs of the Selective Internal Radiation Therapy procedure.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to provide funding to ensure that patient treatment is not affected during the assessment period for Selective Internal Radiation Therapy in the Commissioning through Evaluation process.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria NHS England uses to reach a decision on whether a procedure is included in the Commissioning through Evaluation process.

David Mowat: Commissioning through Evaluation is an innovative programme, established by NHS England, to gather new evidence on treatments that are currently not routinely funded by the National Health Service but nonetheless show significant potential promise for the future. Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) has not been routinely funded by the NHS in England due to the currently limited evidence base on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the procedure. If new evidence becomes available and NHS England determines that SIRT should be made routinely available in the NHS in the future, it would formally assess any implementation requirements (including training, mandatory standards for commissioned centres etc.) at that point as part of the associated Commissioning Plan. SIRT is available via Individual Funding Requests.

Cerebral Palsy: Children and Young People

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides on the use of (a) paediatric speech and language therapy, (b) paediatric physiotherapy and (c) paediatric occupational therapy for children and young people with cerebral palsy.

David Mowat: The Department does not provide specific guidance on the use of paediatric speech and language therapy, paediatric physiotherapy and paediatric occupational therapy for children and young people with cerebral palsy. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the management of spasticity in under 19s includes recommendations on the provision of physiotherapy and/or occupational therapy. In addition, at the request of the Department, NICE published, on 25 January 2017, the clinical guideline Cerebral palsy in under 25s: assessment and management.

Department of Health: Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reduction in the number of his Department's officials has been in each year since 2009-10; and what planned reduction in the number of his Department's officials there is in each year to 2019-20 by nomenclature of territorial units for statistics region 1.

David Mowat: Information on historic and current levels staffing levels in the ‘core’ Department budget is given in the following table. Information on forecasts for future staffing levels are not available in the format requested  Territorial Units for core Department (excluding agencies)Numbers of Employed Staff by Territorial Unit at dates shown (full-time equivalent)31 March 201031 March 201131 March 201231 March 201331 March 201431 March 201531 March 201631 March 2017North East48575757484800North West10101010..03824Yorkshire and the Humber814786719709613642642419East Midlands191910100000West Midlands191010100000East191910100000London1,5331,5331,3511,3121,1111,2361,245847South East4829291919191917South West101010100000Wales00000000Scotland00000000Northern Ireland00000000Overseas00000000Location not reported86675738485 or fewer025Total2,6062,5392,2612,1841,8391,9451,9451,332

Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how much funding has been allocated to and (b) how many staff have been employed by (i) Healthwatch England, (ii) Healthwatch Hull and (iii) each other local Healthwatch in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Healthwatch England has provided the following information. Allocation of funding Healthwatch England Local Healthwatch2014/152015/162016/17Healthwatch England£4,160,000£4,500,000£3,000,000 Healthwatch Kingston upon Hull Local HealthwatchApril 2014/ March 2015April 2015/March 2016April 2016/November 2016December 2016/May 2017Kingston Upon Hull£213,800£213,800£184,4631£97,8652 1The rate equivalent to £276,696 per annum was applied from April through November 2016 due to the delay in the new tender. 2The rate equivalent to £195,729 per annum was agreed for a six month extension from December 2016 to May 2017 due to the delay in the new tender. All funding from April 2016 now includes both Healthwatch core funding and additional funding for advocacy services. Under the previous contract Kingston upon Hull Healthwatch received an additional £79,000 on top of the £213,800 for the advocacy contract. Funding allocations to each other local Healthwatch in England is attached, extracted from Healthwatch England's State of Support, providing details of 2016-17 Healthwatch network finances, published in October 2016. A number of local Healthwatch have provided amended details of their 2016-17 funding. Healthwatch England intends to publish a revised set of figures in February 2017. Staff numbers full-time equivalent (FTE) Healthwatch England  April 2014April 2015April 2016Healthwatch England325346  Healthwatch Kingston upon Hull  April 2014April 2015April 2016Kingston Upon Hull554  Other local Healthwatch in England Given fluctuations in contractual arrangements and staffing numbers across the Healthwatch network, it is not possible to provide a definitive figure for FTE staff across the remainder of the Healthwatch network over the last three years. However, the below provides an estimated figure on FTE staffing numbers for the network, based on the data provided in Healthwatch England’s annual data intelligence return. These figures are extrapolated, based upon the responses provided by the Healthwatch network to our questions on staffing numbers.  April 2014April 2015April 2016Healthwatch network593593656



PQ61059 attached document
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Hospital Beds

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what analysis the Department has undertaken to assess the reasons for the time taken between a patient being cleared to be discharged from hospital and that discharge taking place.

Mr Philip Dunne: A delayed transfer of care from acute or non-acute care occurs when a patient is ready to depart from such care and is still occupying a bed. A patient is ready for transfer when both a clinical decision and a multi-disciplinary team decision has been made that the patient is ready for transfer, and the patient is safe to discharge or transfer.NHS England publishes data at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/delayed-transfers-of-care/on the number of patients delayed on the last Thursday of each month and the total delayed days during the month for all patients delayed throughout the month. These data show the agency responsible for the delay (National Health Service, local authority, or both), and the reason for the delay.

Norovirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of trends in the incidence of norovirus in the last five years; and what recent steps he has taken to tackle outbreaks of norovirus.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England (PHE) carries out norovirus surveillance. As norovirus activity varies from season-to-season it is not possible to predict how each season will progress and it is therefore most appropriate to use the five season average for comparison. The level of norovirus activity was lower than average during the 2015/16 season. The number of laboratory reports of norovirus in this season (since week 27 2016) is 3,189. This is 7% higher than the average number for the same period in the five seasons from season 2011/12 to season 2015/16 (2,988), and 71% higher than the same weeks last season. Five-season comparison of laboratory reports of norovirus in England and Wales Season*Number of laboratory reports2012/134,8172013/142,0352014/153,0582015/161,8662016/173,189 Note: *Seasonal figures presented in the table refer to the number of laboratory reports, as reported to PHE, for week 27 of the first year to week two of the following year. Steps on tackling outbreaks of norovirus are a local responsibility and National Health Service trusts have local systems and processes in place to prevent and manage outbreaks. At a national level norovirus is included in the Operating Pressures Escalation Level Framework across trusts to provide a consistent approach and maintain quality and patient safety.

Footwear: Health Hazards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the health effect on people who run wearing ill-fitting trainers.

Nicola Blackwood: We do not intend to make any such assessment.

Atrial Fibrillation: Screening

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the UK National Screening Committee plans to begin its review of systematic population screening for atrial fibrillation.

David Mowat: The UK National Screening Committee plans to review the evidence for atrial fibrillation in the financial year 2017/18 as part of its three yearly cycle. More information on the review and how to participate in the public consultation is available at:https://legacyscreening.phe.org.uk/atrialfibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation: Strokes

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the annual financial cost is of atrial fibrillation-related stroke to the NHS.

David Mowat: According to our latest estimates, there are about 16,000 strokes as a consequence of atrial fibrillation (AF) per year in England. The average cost of stroke in the first year after onset is £13,459 in health costs and £8,716 in social care costs totalling £22,175. After five years the accumulated costs are £45,233. An AF related stroke is on average more severe than other strokes and the average five year costs are nearer £60,000.

Cervical Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department took to support Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.

David Mowat: Ministers welcome Cervical Cancer Prevention Week. We are fully supportive of the work Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust does to raise awareness of cervical cancer and the importance of cervical screening for eligible women. We have provided a supportive quote to Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and will be active on social media throughout this week. Human papillomavirus vaccine has been given to more than three million teenage girls across the United Kingdom since our vaccination programme started in 2008 and coverage is amongst the highest in the world. The number of young women with pre-cancerous lesions is falling and protection is expected to be long term helping to protect women against cervical cancer, eventually saving hundreds of lives each year.

Skin Diseases

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many finished admission episodes there were in each parliamentary constituency where a patient was diagnosed as having (a) hidradenitis suppurativa and (b) a dermatological condition in each of the last five years.

David Mowat: The attached table gives a count of finished admissions episodes with a primary diagnosis of hidradenitis suppurativa and dermatological conditions for the years 2011-12 to 2015-16 by parliamentary constituency.



PQ61547 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 79.41 KB)

NHS: Drugs

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how NHS processes for the purchase of medicines are taken into account in decisions of allocating funding for research and development in life sciences; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: Researchers applying for funding from the Department are expected to seek best value when obtaining any medicines required for their research. This may be through existing National Health Service medicines procurement processes, or they may seek donations, or additional discounts direct from pharmaceutical suppliers if this delivers better value.

Parkinson's Disease

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of people aged 50- years and under who have Parkinson's disease.

David Mowat: Information regarding the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease aged 50 years and under is not collected. Parkinson’s disease predominantly affects older adults, and population prevalence estimates suggest that of the 127,000 people living with the condition in the United Kingdom, the vast majority are over the age of 50. Prevalence is highest amongst people aged over 75, and estimates suggest less than 5,000 people aged 54 years and under have the condition. More information can be found in the following prevalence study published by Parkinson’s UK:www.parkinsons.org.uk/sites/default/files/parkinsonsprevalenceuk_0.pdf

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in health costs from non-UK Governments in each of the last three years by the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in health costs from foreign governments in each of the last three years by Northern General Hospital.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in health costs from foreign governments in each of the last three years by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in costs to the NHS from foreign governments by Leeds General Infirmary in each of the last three years.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in costs to the NHS from foreign governments by Leicester Royal Infirmary Infirmary in each of the last three years.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in costs to the NHS from foreign governments by King's Mill Hospital in each of the last three years.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in costs to the NHS from foreign governments by Chesterfield Royal Hospital in each of the last three years.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in costs to the NHS from foreign governments by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust in each of the last three years.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was reclaimed in health costs from foreign governments in each of the last three years by Derby Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department, on behalf of the United Kingdom Government, reimburses other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland for the cost of providing treatment to people we are responsible for under European Union law, irrespective of nationality. In the same way, other EEA countries and Switzerland reimburse the UK for the cost of the National Health Service providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland. The requested data regarding individual trusts is not held centrally. NHS trusts and foundation trusts publish data on amounts claimed for directly chargeable overseas patients in their annual accounts. This data does not include patients from the EEA and Switzerland whose treatment would be reimbursed under Regulations (EC) Nos 883/2004 and 987/2009. Data in trusts’ annual accounts includes: - Income recognised this year (invoiced amounts and accruals);- Cash payments received in-year (invoices issued this year);- Amounts added to provision for impairment of receivables (receivables at previous year end); and- Amounts written off in-year (irrespective of year of recognition).

Social Services

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of councils charging fees to undertake needs assessments for adult social care on people with social care needs; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: The Care Act 2014 gives local authorities the power to charge for meeting needs for care and support or support but does not give them the power to charge for carrying out a needs assessment. The Care and Support Statutory Guidance makes clear that local authorities must not charge people for a needs assessment or the preparation of a care and support plan since these processes do not constitute meeting needs.

Coeliac Disease

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS clinical commissioning groups have a no access policy in relation to staple gluten-free substitute foods via FP10 prescription in England.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people in England diagnosed with coeliac disease who are unable to access staple gluten-free substitute foods.

David Mowat: The Department has made no official estimate. A wide range of gluten-free products are available in most supermarkets and online. The Department has made no estimate of the number of people in England unable to access gluten-free foods.

Dental Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2016 to Question 57424, on dental services, for what reason his Department does not hold the data requested.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2016 to Question 57424, how many dental surgeries there are in England.

David Mowat: We do not hold the data requested. Information is not held by individual dental surgery so it is not possible to provide information on the number of dental surgeries or the number of those that have closed.

Dental Services: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2016 to Question 57423, what estimate he has made of the number of children who are registered with a dentist.

David Mowat: Patients do not have to register to receive National Health Service dental services so information is not held in the form requested. Information is available on the number of children receiving NHS dental services (‘patients seen’) in a 12 month period. This information is published quarterly. Information on children seen covers 12 months as this is the maximum intervals National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends for children between dental checkups.

Prescriptions

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of repeat dispensing prescriptions issued in England in each year from 2010 to 2015 and (b) savings made in each year as a result of repeat dispensing; and what steps the Government is taking to encourage greater use of repeat dispensing.

David Mowat: The available information on the number of repeat dispensing prescription items issued in England is in the table below: YearNumber of repeat dispensing prescription items (000s)201254,061.6201364,600.1201474,879.8201585,949.9Source: ePACT.net provided by the NHS Business Services Authority The estimated benefits of electronic repeat dispensing over single paper prescriptions is set out in the table. NHS Digital has advised that these figures represent the collective value of greater efficiency due to:- clinical (eg general practitioner (GP)) time saved from digitally signing and cancelling electronic repeat prescriptions over the physical signature on paper prescriptions;- prescriber administrative time savings resulting from reduced process steps for routine repeat electronic prescriptions replacing paper; and- the reduction in the volume of paper and signing time (one digital signature per batch) over repeat prescribing in GP practices. Financial yearEstimated benefits (£000s)2010-1102011-12£290.12012-13£3,752.72013-14£21,440.52014-15£55,876.62015-16£122,858.7Source: NHS DigitalNHS England has advised that, where relevant, it is utilising every opportunity to promote and support the increased growth of the use of electronic repeat dispensing. For example the service specification for the NHS Urgent Medicine Supply advanced service pilot states that one of the aims and intended outcomes of this service is ‘to increase patients’ awareness of the electronic Repeat Dispensing Service’. NHS England has also been working very closely with NHS Digital, which has launched an awareness campaign to promote the use of electronic repeat dispensing. An electronic repeat dispensing toolkit along with an E-learning module to support users have been made available at: www.digital.nhs.uk/eps These have been supported with national communications and webinars. There is also a team of implementation managers supporting the roll out of electronic repeat dispensing across the country by providing support at clinical commissioning group and GP practice level and engaging local community pharmacies in the process.

Parkinson's Disease: Drugs

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new drugs for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease are being considered for licensing.

Nicola Blackwood: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is aware of one new drug product for the potential treatment of Parkinson’s disease for which a licence application submission to the European Medicines Agency is expected within the next 12 months. Details of this product are not yet in the public domain.

Community Hospitals: Devon

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of community hospitals are in (a) Devon and (b) East Devon.

David Mowat: The Department does not hold the total number of community hospitals centrally. However, there are currently 28 community hospitals across Devon, with four community hospitals in the East Devon constituency.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to include prison mental health services within the Care Quality Commission's remit for inspection.

Nicola Blackwood: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) requires that all prisons which carry out regulated activities need to register with it, except where the services are directly commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. In all instances the CQC works closely with other organisations, such as Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), to ensure that detainees are safeguarded against ill treatment and receive the same quality of care as the rest of the population. The CQC publishes a provider handbook which explains the way it inspects health and social care in prisons and young offender institutions, and health care in immigration removal centres. This can be viewed on its website at:http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20150729_provider_handbook_secure_settings_0.pdf The CQC is also involved in inspections where the inspections are led by HMIP, Ofsted and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. These details can be found on the CQC website at:http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/health-and-care-criminal-justice-system The CQC published a press release in December 2016 giving details of a new agreement which has been formalised between the CQC and HMIP, to help facilitate how the CQC will continue to work together to inspect health and care services in prisons.

Mental Health Services: Unpaid Work

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many unpaid NHS jobs in mental health were advertised in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: The information requested is not held centrally.

Surgery: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of cancelled elective surgeries on the development and training of trainee surgeons.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has made no such assessment. Health Education England (HEE) has responsibility for promoting high quality education and training that is responsive to the changing needs of patients and local communities; ensuring that the healthcare workforce has the right skills, behaviours and training, and is available in the right numbers to support the delivery of healthcare and health improvement. HEE, working with National Health Service trusts, will continue to ensure all trainees are supported to gain the required experience necessary to meet their curriculum requirements.

NHS

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on healthcare standards and patient access to medicines in the UK.

David Mowat: The Department is working to make sure the best outcome for the health and social care system. All policy teams within the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on their area. This includes working with NHS England and other arm’s length bodies. The Prime Minister has instructed all departments to identify potential opportunities that will arise in their areas from EU Exit. The Government is united in its ambition to deliver a successful withdrawal from the EU and a new relationship with Europe, and departments will work together to deliver this.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many broader scope meetings have been held by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency since May 2015.

Nicola Blackwood: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has held 21 Broader Scope Meetings with stakeholders since May 2015. Broader Scope Meetings are more wide-ranging and speculative than conventional scientific advice meetings.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure equal access to IVF treatment across the UK.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of clinical commissioning groups offer three full cycles of IVF treatment paid for by the NHS.

Nicola Blackwood: In England and Wales, guidance on the provision of National Health Service funded in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment services is provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in its guideline ‘Fertility: Assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems’. To assist clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to effectively commission IVF services for their local population, the Department, NHS England, professional and stakeholder groups are working together to develop a benchmark price for IVF to ensure that CCGs can get best value for their money. Additionally, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, has developed commissioning guidance to improve the quality of commissioning. NHS England has agreed to disseminate and promote the guidance to all CCGs in England. The provision of funded treatment services in other parts of the United Kingdom is a matter for the devolved administrations. Information on local provision of NHS funded IVF treatment is not collected centrally. A survey carried out by Fertility Fairness in 2016 indicated that 16% of CCGs in England offered three cycles of IVF to qualifying couples.